By Erin Deborah
London’s answer to Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird was a standout performance, both entertaining and poignant. Despite having read the novel three times (and seen the film at least twice), I left with tears in my eyes and the same sense of dread and injustice I felt the first time I witnessed the white jury condemn a black man to death. There is a reason the text is so widely studied in schools - and why it has been adapted for the stage.
Aaron Sorkin’s writing coupled with Bartlett Sher’s exquisite and intentional direction made for a successful marriage of style and drama that left the audience with a need to rethink the sordid parts of Western history. Silence dominated London’s Gielgud theatre several times during the performance.
While the opening of the play made me slightly uneasy - actors breaking the fourth wall can often feel contrived - the adaptation of the novel was well-written for the stage. Likewise, while the actors took a moment to get used to, with Anna Munden’s portrayal of Scout Finch slightly grating on me at the start. By the interval however, the characters became complex and engaging to watch. Childish naivety gave way to a sense of justice and desire to fight the racist system, and motivation for problematic behaviours gave the characters layered personalities and a sense of realism.
Cheryl Burniston stood out as Mayella Ewell, bringing to life the transference of trauma that may occur when a victim of abuse struggles to process their pain. Initially, Matthew Modine’s Atticus Finch did not have the gravitas of Gregory Peck’s, but I quickly changed my mind; Modine’s Atticus sensitively toed the line between understanding the reasons for racist and prejudiced behaviour, and taking care not to justify or condone it.
Praise must go to set and costume design. From seamless transitions to highly immersive scenery, I felt through the seamless transitions and highly immersive set design that I was back in the 1930s deep South, not Shaftesbury Avenue. The courtroom setting held particular weight. Using twelve empty chairs to depict the jury revealed the entrenched racism at the time - it did not matter who the jury were, Robinson was condemned the moment he was accused.
The play revealed the oft ignored roots of racism and racial violence: a feeling of inadequacy or failure and a desperate need to feel big, to regain control, by enacting violence over others. I left the theatre moved. Thought-provoking and emotive, To Kill a Mockingbird is what theatre is supposed to be about.
